On Tuesday August 22, 2023, the PNG Forest Authority (PNGFA) signed a pioneering cooperative agreement with TotalEnergies Limited, in a historic moment for PNG’s conservation efforts.
PNGFA Managing Director John Mosoro said, “The cooperative agreement paves the way for PNGFA to champion towards securing land for reforestation and afforestation efforts which is to plant trees on the grasslands of our country.”
Mosoro said the agreement includes vital provisions for TotalEnergies Limited to provide extensive support to PNGFA particularly in the areas of training and energy efficiency to get the tree plantations up.
He continued stating that the partnership will also support “Operation Painim Graun na Planim Diwai” which means to secure land and plant trees, a flagship government policy. The program will start as a ‘nature-based pilot project’ and later be replicated in other parts of the country.
A nature-based non-binding agreement was also signed for PNGFA to go into other pilot projects with TotalEnergies.
Mosoro expressed gratitude to Forests Minister Salio Waipo for their unwavering support and thanked TotalEnergies country manager, Jean-Marc Noiray for recognizing PNGFA to pioneer the project.
Noiray mentioned that totalEnergies has two key commitments, that is, the ‘Zero Net Deforestation’ project in Kuriva, Central Province and offsetting carbon footprints, a project that will be piloted in Bulolo, Morobe Province.